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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nerd is a term often bearing a derogatory
connotation or stereotype, that refers to a person who
passionately pursues intellectual activities, esoteric
knowledge, or other obscure interests that are age-inappropriate
rather than engaging in more social or popular activities.
Therefore, a nerd is often excluded from physical activity and
considered a loner by peers, or
will tend to associate with like-minded people.

Contents

Etymology

The first documented appearance of the word "nerd" is as the
name of a creature in Dr.
Seuss's book If I Ran the Zoo (1950), in which
the narrator Gerald McGrew claims that he would collect "a Nerkle,
a Nerd, and a Seersucker too" for his imaginary zoo.[1][2] The slang meaning of the term dates
back to 1951, when Newsweek magazine reported on its popular
use as a synonym for "drip;" or "square" in Detroit, Michigan.[3] By the
early 1960s, usage of the term had spread throughout the United
States and even as far as Scotland.[4][5] At some
point, the word took on connotations of bookishness and social
ineptitude.[1]

An alternate spelling, as nurd, also began to appear in
the mid-1960s or early '70s.[6] Author
Philip K. Dick
claimed to have coined this spelling in 1973, but its first
recorded use appeared in a 1965 student publication at Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute.[7][8]Oral tradition
there holds that the word is derived from "knurd" ("drunk" spelled
backwards), which was used to describe people who studied rather
than partied. On the other hand, the variant "gnurd" was in wide
use at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology throughout the first half of the
1970s.

They typically appear either to lack confidence or to be
indifferent or oblivious to the negative perceptions held of them
by others, with the result that they become frequent objects of
scorn, ridicule, bullying,
and social
isolation. Some nerds show a pronounced interest in subjects
which others tend to find dull or boring, or just simply too
complex and difficult to comprehend, or overly mature for their
age, especially topics related to science, mathematics and technology. On the opposite end of the
spectrum, nerds may show an interest in activities that are viewed
by their peers as stupid and immature for their age, such as trading cards, comic books, television
programs, flims, role-playing
games, video games
and other things relating to fantasy and science fiction. Nerds are often
portrayed as physically unfit and either obese or very thin. Nerds are
also sometimes portrayed as having symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder such as
showing extreme interest in rules. Comparisons to Asperger
syndrome are common, due to the tendency to engage in intense,
specific interests and to experience difficulty in social
situations.[15]
Particulary in the case of males, nerds may be percieved as being
uninterested in traditionally masculine activities such as sports
(either participating in or following) or "locker room talk". While
nerds are not neccesarily asexual, they are typically depicted as
having difficulty attracting the opposite sex and may actually be
experiencing involuntary celibacy. This tends
to be more of a problem for male nerds due to traditional gender
roles requiring males to be proactive in courtship as opposed to
expecting to be approached by the opposite sex. Reasons may include
shyness or especially lack of conversational skills outside of
certain subjects of interest.

Stereotypical nerd qualities have evolved in recent years, from
awkwardness and social ostracism to a more widespread acceptance
and sometimes even celebration of their abilities. This is largely
attributable to the rise of the computer industry, which has allowed many
"nerdy" people (most notably Bill Gates) to accumulate large fortunes and
other measures of social prestige. Some measure of nerdiness is
widely considered desirable, because it suggests a person who is
intelligent, respectful, interesting, and able to earn a large
salary. This evolution has dovetailed with waning emphasis on the
social awkwardness of nerds, with more attention placed on their
intelligence and academic enthusiasm.

Nerd
pride

In the 1984 film Revenge of the Nerds,
starring Robert Carradine and Anthony
Edwards, Carradine in particular worked to embody the nerd
stereotype and, in doing so, helped create a definitive image.[16]
Additionally, the storyline presaged, and may have helped inspire,
the "nerd pride" that emerged in the 1990s. American
Splendor regular Toby Radloff claims this was the movie
that inspired him to become "The Genuine Nerd from Cleveland, Ohio."[17] In
the American Splendor film, Toby's friend, American
Splendor author Harvey Pekar, was less receptive to the
movie, believing it to be hopelessly idealistic, explaining that
Toby, an adult low income file clerk, had nothing in commom with
the middle class kids in the film who would eventually attain
college degrees, success, and cease being perceived as nerds. Many,
however, seem to share Radloff's view, as "nerd pride" has become
more widespread in the years since. MIT professor Gerald Sussman, for example, seeks to
instill pride in nerds:

“

My idea is to present an
image to children that it is good to be intellectual, and not to
care about the peer pressures to be anti-intellectual. I want every
child to turn into a nerd - where that means someone who prefers
studying and learning to competing for social dominance, which can
unfortunately cause the downward spiral into social rejection.

The popular computer-news website Slashdot uses the tagline "News for nerds. Stuff that matters."
The Charles J. Sykes quote "Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll
end up working for one" has been popularized on the Internet and
incorrectly attributed to Bill Gates.[18] In Spain, Nerd Pride Day has
been observed on May 25 since 2006.

An episode from the animated series Freakazoid, titled
"Nerdator", includes the use of nerds to power the mind of a Predator-like
enemy, who delivers a memorable monologue on the importance of
nerds:

“

...what they lack in
physical strength they make up in brain power. Who writes all the
best selling books? Nerds. Who directs the top grossing Hollywood movies? Nerds. Who creates the
highly advanced technology that only they can understand? ...Nerds.
And who are the people who run for the high office of the
Presidency? No one but nerds.

”

The Danish reality TV show FC
Zulu, known in the internationally franchised format as FC Nerds, established a
format wherein a team of nerds, after two or three months of
training, competes with a professional soccer team.

Although the idea of nerds is popular, those adopting the
characteristics of nerds are not actually nerds by definition. One
cannot be an authentic nerd by imitation alone; a nerd is an
outsider and someone who is unable or unwilling to follow trends.
Popular culture is borrowing the concept and image of nerds in
order to stand out as individuals.[19]

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

German

Noun

This German entry was created from the translations listed
at nerd. It may be less reliable
than other entries, and may be missing parts of speech or
additional senses. Please also seeNerdin the German Wiktionary. This notice
will be removed when the entry is checked. (more information)
October 2009